Snooker will return to action on June 1 with its first event since the coronavirus pandemic wiped out the sporting calendar.

Promoter Barry Hearn’s Matchroom Sport have announced that the Championship League event in Milton Keyes will be the opening event back, staged behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena.

And Hearn, who is the chairman in charge of organising snooker’s biggest events, is proud to be the first major sport to return in the UK.

He said: “During the challenging times of the past few weeks we have examined the opportunities which still exist and worked relentlessly towards the goal of getting our tour going again. While most other sports remain sidelined, we are ready to return from June 1st. This sends out a message to the sporting world that snooker is at the forefront of innovation.”

A number of measures will be put in place to ensure social distancing is maintained during the tournmanent.

These include: 

• Social distancing measures throughout the venue
• Players seated at least two metres apart during matches
• Players using anti-bacterial hand sanitiser before matches and avoiding handshakes
• Referees endeavouring to keep two metres away from players where possible
• No access for players' guests
• First aid personnel on site at all times

Championship League group matches will take place for a week between June 1-8, before the group winners face one another on June 9-10.

The tournament finals will then conclude the event on June 11 as the Championship League winner is decided.